Testing: Clara Oswald
by tardisseeker
Summary: The Doctor and companion Clara Oswald are sent on a long and difficult journey with many monsters and challenges. But who's responsible for all the chaos? He sits behind closed doors.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sometimes enjoying one an others presence is all me and the Doctor need. We both understand the need for silence. It's a time for thinking, so he's told me. I take advantage of these quiet moments. While he walks around his console, pressing buttons and pulling levers, I sit in the chair near the stairs. He's always had it; I suppose he uses it when I'm not here. How kind of him. He's always like that, thinking of others.

I've been traveling with the Doctor on and off for a few months now. Every Wednesday he'll come and take me out in his ship. I've seen some amazing things so far. Akhaten was beautiful, dangerous but beautiful. And when he was trying to take me to space Vegas we ended up in a Russian submarine where an Ice Warrior had been found and was going around on a rampage. It was suppose to be a sweet little trip to Sweetville but it really wasn't. This is what happens when the Doctor gets interested in something, so I've learned now. Our last trip was to Hedgewicks World of Wonders with Artie and Angie. If their dad finds out about that one I'll be out a job.

Mind you, there are many times I haven't felt safe around the Doctor. He's questionable sometimes. He walks around as if he owns everything, and I suppose he can go anywhere and do anything that's reasonable (sometimes) so maybe he does. He gets over himself sometimes. When he's like that I don't feel safe. I don't trust him and sometimes, very rarely, I get scared.

I think friendship is that though. When you spend time with someone stuff is going to happen, it's inevitable. Those things will trigger feelings: happiness, content, anger, sadness or scared. There are loads more too. I suppose that's why I always come back to the Doctor. Maybe that's why he always comes back to me, because he knows that being scared is normal and completely allowed. He's had a lot of time to think about that as well, 1200 years.

I watch my Doctor as he walks towards me. He has a big, happy grin on his face and he's holding out his hands towards me. I smile up at the ridiculous sight that he is. "So! What do you want to do?" He asks me loudly, with a spring in his voice. I look down at the floor for a second, thinking, and my smile is the only indication that I'm paying any attention. He pauses in front of me, waiting. After a moment I lift my eyes up to meet his. "We could go on a walk, maybe," I tell him as I stand up. Even when I'm standing he's at least a foot taller than me. I look up at him. "We're always in here, or on some foreign planet. We could just go on a walk for some fresh air." I finish. His eyes search mine, probably for an indication that I'm talking rubbish. But I keep my glare straight and firm. I don't want him to move me.

He backs away from me, a small grin still visible. "Really? A walk?" He asks. I nod once. "Yeah, I think it'll do me good. I'm always stuck inside, cleaning. I want to be out. Even if only for a little bit." I tell him. He still watches me, waiting for me to change my mind but I'm not. I think it's a brilliant idea. And of course, when does the Doctor become associated with normal things? This is my chance to make him.

"Fine. We'll go on a walk." He tells me as he pulls down a lever next to him. He has now turned to face the console. "Do you have a preferred destination for this walk? We can make it interesting: Kilis has a great forest we could see. Mind you, there are Matkins lurking there. Well, we could be careful." The Doctor ranted. I followed him as he walked around the console. "No, I don't want to go to someplace like that. I want to go home, be on Earth for a change. How about Rubbins Park? It's about forty five minutes from my old place; I used to go there all the time with Tess." I told him. Rubbins Park. Hadn't been there in ages. It had the most beautiful walking trails and it was never that busy. If the Doctor did try to pull something he might actually get away with it there.

"Who's Tess?" He asked me with a confused face. I raised my eyebrows, thinking back to the years I had spent with her. My best friend, back then at least. "An old friend." I stated. The Doctor didn't seem taken aback at all. I wouldn't have been happy if he was. 1200 years and he expects me to believe that I'm his only friend? Rubbish.

"Alright, Rubbins Park it is. Just give me a moment; the landing gears have been a bit sticky lately. I just want to give her some time to breathe if she needs it." He tells me. I nod as I walk towards the door, preparing to leave. From the corner of my eye I see him focusing on the flight, making his destination as precise as possible.

I skip over to the stairs by the door. I jump up the stair and I expect to land softly, but the TARDIS shakes violently backwards and I reach out my arms, flailing for someplace to hold on to. I feel the palm of my hand come into contact with the railing, thank god. I steady myself before I turn to the Doctor.

When I turn to him he's staring at me, a look of quilt on his face. I study it before I speak. "What's happened?" I ask him. He gulps once and then whispers in a quiet voice; "Something's outside the TARDIS."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I know that my eyes are wide and I don't bother to conceal them. My mouths open too; I can feel it getting dry as I stare at the Doctor. His eyes are nervous, darting around the exit carefully, looking for any signs of forced entry. "What do you mean there's something outside? Are we not in space?" I ask him quickly. His eyes are on me but I can tell that he's not really paying attention. "I mean, that there is something out there, in space." He practically sums up what I already said.

My back is to the door and I don't know if I should turn to it or stay put. I don't know what's out there. Is it human? What am I saying, of course it's not human, we're in space. So it's an alien, I suppose. But, he said some_thing, _so it doesn't have to have a body. It could be a ship or, I don't know, space rubbish or whatever. That made me feel a bit better.

"Do you know what it is?" I ask the Doctor. He licks his upper lip before he answers me. "No, but I think that you should come away from the door, Clara." He says slowly. I nod quickly in agreement. I start to walk towards him but he puts a hand up. "Slowly." He whispers. I nod again and then precede a lot slower.

When I reach him I hide behind him, putting him between me and the door. I pull at the hem of my dress nervously. "What do we do?" I whisper from behind him. He turns his head slightly just to see where I am but other than that he doesn't move. "Stay put." He tells me. I look at his cheek and I see his jaw tighten. "Not a problem." I reply.

The Doctor starts to walk towards the door slowly. He has one of his hands up in front of him and the other behind him, motioning for me to stay. His steps are quiet and careful. If I was the one on the other side of that door I would believe that nobody was home. I wish that that is what whatever is out there believes.

His hand brushes against the wooden door when he's close enough. I shift my feet, trying to get comfortable as I watch him. I see his hand trail to the knob and I then see him grab hold. I notice that his watch is the same color as the knob. He slowly turns it, with his back to me. I move slightly so I can see everything.

I hear the door click open and I take a deep breath in, staying silent. I can hear my heart beating in my chest. I'm nervous and worried.

He slowly opens the door wider and wider but I don't see anything. When the door is open all the way, all I see are the stars. I let my breath go. "Nothing?" I ask or quite possibly state but he doesn't hear me. He's looking down at something but I can't see what it is. "Doctor?" I ask when he doesn't say anything. "Doctor, what is it?" I urge him on carefully.

With my frustration with the silence I turn around in my spot. I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for some sort of explanation to come flying out of his mouth. Something clever, I hope.

When it doesn't come I let out a sigh. I'm facing his back again and the Timelord is still looking at whatever's out there that I can't see. I come to a decision. The best way to learn anything is to put yourself out there.

I walk carefully towards the Doctor; not knowing what is out there. It's possibly a threat, or a bunny, you never know. When I'm close enough and when I know that he knows that I'm there, I look down. I don't see anything for a second but I then see a small envelope. It's a sort of brownish color with a red seal. I see the Doctor's name written in the center. The Doctor has mail.

I look up from the envelope to see the Doctor. My eyes are wide when I see that he's smiling. He looks giddy and his eyes are shining. "Why, why are you happy?" I ask him, the confusion showing in my voice. The Doctor turns his head to look at me before he bends down to pick up the envelope. I watch him as he does. When he's back to being taller than me his eyes meet mine. "I have mail! I almost never get mail! This is so exciting!" He tells me. A small smile creeps onto my lips at his excitement.

He turns away from me, running up the stairs, flailing his arms everywhere. My smile isn't very small anymore and I follow him to the console happily. "Who's it from?" I ask him. It's like his happiness and excitement is contagious. You can hear it in my voice too. He looks at it with his eyes wide. "I don't know. Maybe there's a name inside. Let's see shall we?" He tells me. I nod excitedly.

I watch his fingers fumble over the flap, carefully tearing it apart. His face is shining; the wonder practically pops off of his face. I laugh a bit, a small giggle.

When the envelope is open I immediately step back, my body going frigid. The room darkens quickly and the only source for light is these particles that come out from the envelope. They glow brightly, making me squint my eyes.

The particles fly up and into the air smoothly. I watch them carefully. "Doctor?" I ask the Timelord. He too is watching the dust particles fly around the room, taking up every corner. His eyes are glowing in the light, as is everything else. "I don't know..." He mumbles quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

My eyes are trained on them, their every movement. They begin to move in a way that resembles dancing, slowly and gracefully. My mind is captivated by its beauty. But, what are they?

After they move into this sort of line the particles start to move towards me, at a steady pace. The Doctor watches from a safe distance as I open my mouth, hopefully to speak. His eyes are wide. "Clara..." He says as the particles fly right into my mouth. I swallow them down quickly. I can't help it.

I watch Clara as she takes in the dust. Her mouth has closed now and she's staring off into space, not particularly at anything. I can't move, even though I want to. I want to help her but I don't know how.

I suppose that the dust has made her up now, filled her up, inhabiting her. To put a right to my belief, a figure appears next to Clara. It is Clara.

My eyes dart back and forth to the two of them. They look exactly the same, except one is walking towards me. "Doctor..." Clara gasps as she grabs hold of the arm of my jacket. I look at her, she looks tired. I pull her into me, embracing her as I keep my eyes on the other Clara, the not Clara. "It's alright, hey, it's okay." I mumble into her hair. I hear her stifle a sob into my chest. Her breaths are short and quick, scared. Like she should be.

I carefully pull away from her, taking her hands in my own. She won't look at me; her eyes are locked to the floor. I raise a hand to her chin, lifting her head so that her stare meets my own. "I promise, everything is fine." I tell her. She shakes her head, stealing a look towards the figure that is a perfect resemblance of herself. "No, it's not." She tells me. My eyes falter to the floor, my head falling with it. I let her hands go and I turn to the figure that is staring at the two of us.

This one is Clara, but not quite. Her eyes are dark, black around the corners and her mouth is turned down in a frown; unlike her copy usually is. The look on her face makes my body shiver. "Hello, what do you want?" I ask her carefully. I try to make my voice strong but it falters slightly, getting quiet at the end. The duplicates eyes lock onto mine. It's as if she's staring into my soul. I take one step back. "Your ship is now under our control." It says manually. My eyes widen.

I would look surprised but I don't have the energy to do so. I stand behind the Doctor, watching me. I don't know what happened exactly, just that I couldn't help it. It was as if someone had done it for me, and now we were here: in a control room that can't actually control.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asks the figure. "Wait, who's 'our'?" He fixes his question to better suit his liking. My eyes fall to his hands which are clenched into fists. He's holding himself back, but why? Nothing ever comes between him and his TARDIS.

"Your ship is now under my control." The other Clara repeats her sentence differently. The Doctors face scrunches up into a ball of hate. "No, it's not." He says clearly.

He turns away from the duplicate and walks over to the console. He stretches his fingers out over the many buttons, pushing them as he goes. He looks as if he's going to take off.

He makes his way to the other side of the console and he stops in front of a lever. His hand hovers over it, uneasy. His eyes flick up to mine quickly. I can't say anything. I know what's going to happen.

He focuses again and he lets his hand grab the lever. He pulls it down quickly. I don't bother to prepare myself for the flight; I know that one isn't coming.

As soon as the lever is down the Doctor gives in. His hand lets go and he turns his heavy body back to face the figure. He takes a deep breath before speaking. "Alright, my ship is under your control. What do you want?" He asks as he lets his breath out.

The figure comes to life, picking up its feet and moving its way around the console. She walks confidently, knowing she has done her job.

I stagger backwards as she comes near me. For one split second I thought she was going to stop in front of me, her cold eyes sent shivers down my spine. But she only so much as looked at me before continuing to move. Her arms are folded as she looks around the place. I would say that she was amazed but there's no light in her eyes, it's as if she's a dead body walking.

I see the Doctor from the corner of my eye. He's stepped out of the figures way, letting her pass as well. His eyes meet mine and he breaths out an answer to a question I hadn't even asked. "Best not." I nod quickly.

The figure looks over her shoulder at the two of us. "What was that?" She asks calmly. My mouth drops open, I can't control it. I feel my eyes widen again. I don't know what to say. "Nothing." The Doctor speaks up for me. Her head moves towards him. She then turns around completely facing both of us. "Okay, now that I have your attention, I might as well explain the game." She tells us. The Doctor scrunches up his eyebrows in confusion. "Game, who said anything about a game? I'm not ready to play a game, I need to prepare." The Doctor spits out. "Well, that's too bad for you." She says coolly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Why do we have to play a game? I don't understand." I speak up. My voice shakes but it's still sturdy, hopefully she doesn't find me weak. "Clara, it's okay." The Doctor turns to me when I speak. I move to look at him. "Doctor, it obviously isn't!" I yell, pointing to my duplicate. "Don't tell me everything's fine when it's not, don't lie to me!" "Shut up."

I turn away from the Doctor to the voice. My duplicate has spoken up again. "This is no time for bickering. You both have a job to do." She says calmly. I shake my head slowly. How can she control us like this? "We're not doing anything you ask." The Doctor says. I don't look at him. Instead my eyes are fixed to the floor.

"We have prepared below, a planet. It's meeting all of our needs, but the only thing you have to worry about, or think about is the town June. That will be your ticket out." She tells us. The Doctor cuts in. "What do you mean ticket out?" The duplicates eyes flash and her lips curl up into a cruel grin. She taps her fingers on her arm, something I recognize as my own trait. "You'll be stuck on the planet; there won't be a way out." She tells us. I look up at her, my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean? We have the TARDIS." I say. The Doctor folds his arms. "Clara, haven't you been listening? We don't have the TARDIS. She does." He states. My duplicate nods. "Your ticket out is the TARDIS. She'll be in the town June. Make your way there and she's yours."

The Doctor taps his foot nervously. "No, no, that sounds too easy. What's the catch? There must be something else, there must be." He asks her, moving his hands in front of himself. He does this a lot. Thinking out loud. I'm not sure if it does him justice.

The other Clara's grin gets wider. Soon she chuckles a bit before she speaks again. "Oh it's not easy. You'll see soon enough."

Those are her last words. She disappears from the TARDIS in a slow gust of wind. Quickly, the wind picks up, spinning round us like a top without end. My hair gets tossed around, covering my eyes. "Doctor! What's happening?" I yell. I reach out in front of me, trying to find something to grab on to. "It's alright! I just think-you know! The TARDIS! She's not under my control!" He yells back to me. I find something, which I believe is the railing, to hold on to. "Don't tell me it's alright when it's clearly not!" I tell him.

Soon, I can't keep my eyes open, the wind stings them, making them burn. I feel tears forming. Oh god, I cannot be crying. I can't be this scared.

I force my eyes closed, which isn't very hard. I refuse to open them. Not until this is over. I made that promise and I will keep it.

The wind blew on for hours, sending things flying throughout the TARDIS. Both the Doctor and Clara sat on the floor, squeezing their eyes shut, dreaming the events away. Hoping that it would stop.

When the wind finally died down, Clara was oblivious. She could still feel it hitting her from all sides. But there was also a feeling of calmness, and that lifted her spirits. The girl slowly opened her eyes, still fearful of what she might see. She blinked cautiously, preparing to go back to her dreams.

But the wind had indeed stopped, nothing was flying rapidly anymore. Clara felt herself grin a little with relief. She raised her hand to her face and pushed her hair away.

When her eyes adjusted she looked around for the Doctor. To her amazement he was standing by the door. She was staring at his back. "Doctor?" She asked quietly. The Timelord looked over his shoulder and grinned, but Clara could tell. He was nervous. "Good to see you're okay." He told her. Clara grinned again.

One by one she stood up off the ground. It took her longer to gain her balance. She wondered how long she had sat there, waiting for the storm to die down.

After she was confident that she could move without falling she made her way over to the Doctor, who was still facing the door. When she was next to him she looked at the door. There was nothing there that was out of the ordinary. "What's going to happen now?" She asked him. The Doctor smiled his small grin once again. Clara looked up at him, searching for his eyes. "We have to leave; do what she says. She's going to get us out of the TARDIS one way or another, let's make it the easy way." He told her as he turned to face her.

Clara swallowed down saliva that had risen in her throat. "So we have to actually make our way to June? How far is that?" She asked. The Doctor snuck a glance towards the main console. "I checked the systems, we are on the planet 'Opius', that's what she meant by preparing a planet. Opius has a different format, easily changed and can be modified for the visitors use. But that's all the systems will let me see, everything's been locked up. I can't do anything about it." He told her. "So you can't find out how to get to June?" The Doctor shook his head. Clara nodded and turned to the door. The Timelord gave her a puzzled but intrigued look. "Then we're going to have to find our way there on our own." She stated. The Doctor grinned, followed by a chuckle. "After you." He said as he gestured towards the door. Clara smiled as she pushed it open, letting the sun shine beam on her face. The Doctor followed her. As she looked around she saw a barren desert. This was what they had to start with.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The sand was bright orange and burned through Clara's shoes. The sun hung high in the sky, beaming down on the two of them. Clara looked up at the glowing sphere. She thought that it was around noon perhaps. She wasn't sure. Maybe this planet had a different concept of time, maybe one day lasted a year.

This thought troubled the young companion. She looked down at her moving feet. The two travelers hadn't been walking long, five minutes at the most. They had decided it was best just to go till they found something to go off of. Until then, they would have to do.

After the pair had stepped out of the TARDIS the ship had flown off, as if all by itself. But they both knew who had done it, the one who destined them here to this orange peel.

As time dragged on, Clara's feet began to ache. So did her head. The silence was unbearable, but she didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell the Doctor that it was going to be okay. She didn't know if it was. For all she knew, they'd be stuck here forever, no water, food or shelter.

The Doctor didn't know what he was to say to his companion either. He knew that it was his job to make her feel safe and content but how was he to do that when he was so unsure himself. He really didn't know what would come out of this, if they even would come out. It pained him to see her so down, the silence begged him to break it.

As the hours passed nothing showed. There were no trees or scraps left on the ground. There weren't any animals or other life forms that could be detected with the Doctors sonic. It was a waste land, a dead end. Without hope.

Clara stared at her feet as she walked. It was a habit that had been developed today. She watched her feet move in perfect rhythm, one in front of the other, a never ending pattern. It was as if they flowed, graciously. She could feel her head playing tricks on her, the dizziness getting the best of her.

But she quickly snapped out of it, because something near her feet sparkled. She was sure of it. She stopped in her tracks, staring at the ground. When the Doctor noticed that she had stopped he turned back to look at her. "Clara, what are you doing?" He asked her. She shook her head, motioning for him to be quiet. Her eyes searched the sand, looking for the source of the sparkle. She then proceeded to use the tips of her toes to push the sand away.

Finally, her eyes found what she was looking for. They widened with excitement. The Doctor had moved towards her and was now next to his companion.

In the dirt there was a small sparkly bead. Clara smiled as she bent down to pick it up. It felt cold between her fingers. The Doctor watched her, marveling. This was the first thing that had been found in the barren desert. Clara felt a shiver of hope flow down her spine. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere. "What do you think it means?" She asked the TimeLord. The Doctor gaped, his eyes wide too as he stared at the bead. "I-I don't know." He started. He licked his upper lip before he continued. "But do you know what I do know Clara?" He asked. Clara turned to look at him. She shook her head. He smiled at her. "If there's one, there must be more." He told her.

Clara's face lit up. The Doctor was right. There must be more around. If there's one there's more.

The Doctor turned away from Clara, staring at the ground, he started to walk away. "Search the sand, see if we can find any more." He told her.

Clara nodded in agreement. She placed the small bead in her pocket for safe keeping as she started to search the sand for more.

She and the Doctor walked for a while more before they found another bead. And another, and another, and another. Clara watched as the trail grew. Each bead seemed to be placed an even distance from the first. The trail failed to end. "What do you think it's leading to?" She asked the Doctor, who was a few meters ahead of her.

But the Doctor didn't answer. He had stopped walking too. He was staring straight ahead. Clara approached him, standing by his side. She searched his face for some indication of what was wrong. She found nothing but blank eyes. "Doctor, what is it?" She asked him. He broke from his sort of trace to look at her. "Don't you see it?" He asked. Her eyebrows furrowed at the question. "See what?" She asked. He nodded towards where he had been looking. Clara followed his glaze.

Off in the distance there was a big house, like a really big house, a mansion at that. It stood alone with nothing else surrounding it. Clara looked down at the bead trail again. It was headed right towards the house. "Guess we know what the trail was for now." She mumbled. The Doctor nodded.

"So what should we do? Do we go in?" She asked. The Doctor took a deep breath. "I think we have to. I don't what to picture what will happen if we don't." He said. This time, Clara was the one to nod.

The companion was quick on her feet; she began to move towards the house, leaving the Doctor behind. "We better get a move on then." She yelled back at him. She heard the Doctor shuffle through the sand. The two travelers made their way to the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Clara realized something as she made her way to the big house. She didn't quite like it. It gave off an air that disturbed her, made her shiver. It was as if someone was throwing ice sickles at her, each one running up and down her spine, putting her teeth on edge. She turned back to look at the Doctor. She wondered if he too felt it.

He knew that Clara was right in front of him but he felt very alone. His eyes kept moving from the hot, dry sand to the eerie household they were moving towards. It was mainly constructed out of dark wood; the board's crisscrossing each other. Where the boards came from, he didn't know. It was a wasteland around them. They would have to have been shipped here, but that would have made tracks, something of evidence, even if it was built long ago and there was nothing of the sort here.

But the Doctor then remembered what planet he was on. Opius is constructed by the mind. The boards weren't moved here, they were dreamt here.

Clara reached the house first, obviously, and she stood in front of its doors waiting for her designated driver to catch up. She watched him as he did. She was happy that she had something else to look at other then the horrid house.

"You alright?" He asked once he was by her side. Clara grinned a little, just slyly, meeting his eyes. "I don't know. I just feel..." "I think the word you're looking for is scared." He finished for her. Clara shook her head after her grin changed quickly. "No, I am not scared." She told him harshly. The Doctor put his hand to the handle and winked at his companion. "Doesn't happen often does it?" He teased her.

Clara realized what he was doing and smiled at him, cheekily. "Well, I wouldn't be talking, chin boy." She responded. He laughed. Clara was glad, it lightened the mood.

The Doctor tried to open the door but it was stuck a little. He licked his lips as he put his shoulder into it, hoping for an easy entrance. The place looked as if it could fall apart at any given moment, so he wanted to be careful.

Finally, the door gave and it opened with a creek. Clara winced at the sound. It reminded her of nails on a chalkboard. The Doctor snuck a glance at his companion, looking for any signs of discomfort. She looked as if she should be, she did look scared, but the Timelord couldn't do anything about that, unfortunately.

"You go first." Clara told him quietly. She had her arms crossed over her chest and she was biting her upper lip, a sign that she was nervous. The Doctor nodded as he slowly pushed open the door.

As he took those first steps into the old, abandoned house, he felt himself physically get colder. He felt the temperature plummet from the deserts hot, sticky air. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the darkness.

Clara followed behind him, right behind him. She practically had her hand on his back, making sure he didn't stray too far from her. The room was very dark, she couldn't see too far in front of her. The Doctor had his sonic out and it was lit up at the end but even that didn't provide appropriate light.

The two of them crawled through the house, slowly, with the little light they had to go off of. It took Clara's eyes a while to adjust but soon she could make out door frames and staircases as they passed. The house seemed to go on forever, they kept getting deeper and deeper.

"Clara." The Doctor said her name to get her attention. Her grasp tightened on the back of his coat. "Yes, what is it?" She asked quickly. She then felt a hand on her arm, grabbing it, and soon she had let go of the Doctor's coat and he was facing her, holding both her hands in his own. "I'm gonna turn on the lights, now." He told her. She gave him a confused look that he couldn't make out in the dark. "Okay, isn't that a good thing?" She asked. She could just see the outline of his face as he turned to look around him. "Well, yes, but...I don't know." He started. "Don't you have a bad feeling about this?" "Yes and no but I think that with the lights on we will be able to see." Clara told him. She then felt the Doctor shiver, she felt it in his hands. She looked down at them for a split second and then began to worry. "I'm afraid, Clara. I don't want to know what's in here. We were led here for a reason; they're not going to let us off easy." "What, so you think it's haunted or something?" She asked him. The Doctor raised and lowered his shoulder in a shrug. "You never know, it might be." He whispered.

Clara had had enough. She pulled her hands from the Doctor's but didn't move her feet. "Doctor, you're being ridiculous. Turn on the lights." She urged him on.

He held his hands out in front of him, as if he was still holding her hands. Clara heard him gulp. "Alright." He stretched out the word so that she was able to hear every syllable, softly but clearly.

The Timelord then raised his sonic in the air between the two of them. Clara had her eyes on it. The Doctor nodded and she could just see his outline. She nodded back hoping he could see her.

The Doctor pressed down on the screwdriver, the tip lighting up and with it the house. Finally, they could see where they were. Clara's eyes lit up before they settled on something behind the Doctor. Her grin disappeared from her face. There was a big creature behind the Doctor and she wasn't happy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The grin had disappeared from Clara's face and was now turned down at the corners. Her eyes were big as they settled on the creature that stood behind the Doctor, on two feet.

The Doctor was watching Clara and when he noticed the expression on her face his changed too, to a frown to match his companions. "Clara, what is it?" He asked her. She took her eyes off of the creature to look him in the eyes. "Turn around." She mumbled, her eyes then flashing back.

His eyebrows furrowed before he began to turn, slowly, he didn't want to know what had been hiding in the dark. This was what he had been afraid off. Something lurking, creeping, making home in the quiet, luring darkness. His fear was becoming a reality.

When he was turned all the way around his gaze fell on the creature, as big as it was. He recognized right away what it was. He had seen them before. Big, wooden, toy dolls. Typical. Stick it in an abandoned house, the perfect way to scare anyone.

"Oh well, here we go again." The Doctor said. Clara shifted her weight on her feet. "Doctor, what is it?" She asked. He pointed to the life sized doll in front of him as he smiled. "This is a Peg Doll, Clara." He told her. Clara then pursed her lips. "Okay...so what do they do?" She started as she backed up a bit. "Like, should we be scared or something?" The Doctor's eyebrows came together once again as he thought and soon realised that yes, he should be a teeny, tiny bit scared at that exact moment. He brought his hands together in front of himself, folding them but holding them up. He turned his head slightly so that he could see his companion out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, Clara, we should be pretty frightened." He mumbled, quietly but still clear enough so that he was heard.

That's all Clara needed. The young girl had turned on the balls of her feet, pushing off hard, giving her the momentum she needed to get as far away from these creatures as she could. She heard the Doctor behind her as the two of them ran through the house.

She didn't know exactly where she was going, she didn't know the house well at all, she'd only been in it for about twenty minutes. So she just kept running, in no particular direction, passing staircases and hallways upon staircases and hallways. She passed big doors with wide frames and countless windows that let close to no light in at all, making the big, empty house nice and cool, as if there was air conditioning filling it up.

She didn't know if the peg doll was following her, it probably would have done her well to have known but soon enough there were more.

She rounded a corner that looked a lot like one she had rounded just a few minutes before, and she came face to face with another one. Clara let out a shriek, the Doctor banging into her from behind. "Hurry, come back this way." He yelled as he grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the doll.

He took her down more hallways, the both of them sliding on their feet, uncontrollably. They were coming out of the doors now, each one opening a new entry. It was like they were spilling out, flooding the area. Clara continued to shriek whenever she came face to face with one; the Doctor could feel her jumping out of her own skin. She was terrified, as she should be.

The Doctor had no idea where was safe within the house, he knew he needed to get out, but how could he do that when he didn't know where the door was. He was filled with panic, it threatening to spill out of him, just like the peg dolls.

There were so many, it was impossible to keep away. Clara followed the Doctor closely, trying not to fall behind or loose him. "Can't you do something?" She yelled. The Doctor didn't look back at her but dodged a very big wooden hand as it was swatted at him. He was breathing heavily. "It doesn't do wood!" He yelled back at her. "What doesn't?" This time he turned quickly, pointing at another hand that was coming towards Clara. She noticed him pointing and she ducked, avoiding the blow. "The sonic, it doesn't do wood." He mumbled. Clara let out a sigh of disbelief. "Really, it does everything else but wood?" She asked. He nodded solemnly, grabbed her hand and continued to run.

"We need to find the door!" He yelled over the noise. The peg dolls were breaking things now, causing quite the ruckus as they tried to get to their victims. Clara shook her head but she knew he couldn't see her. She was very out of breath and was just about to pass out of exhaustion. She needed water, badly.

They passed more doors that were blocked off by the wooden humanoids. The Doctor was searching frantically for one that wasn't, so that they could get out of here. The desert seemed a much better option now.

Finally, one came into sight. There was a peg doll next to it but it was worth a try. Clara looked behind her. There still was a group of them chasing them. She hoped that they could get out quickly.

The two of them ran down the hallway, landing hard on the door. The Doctor tried the handle and to his surprise it worked. He pushed through, falling through, hitting the ground with a thud. Clara followed him out, closing the door loudly. They were hit with the sudden silence. The two of them were breathing heavily, the Doctor on the ground and Clara leaning on the door. "Can they get out?" She asked. The Doctor didn't move but he mumbled a small 'no' to reassure her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Now that the pair had escaped the haunted house behind them they had to start coming up with their next plan. There was still a barren desert around them, nothing but this house was in view.

"Where should we go?" Clara asked the Doctor as she pushed off of the wooden door she had been leaning on. Sweat covered her brow and she was continually heating up in the sun. She decided to take off her leather jacket that was covering her arms. She tied it around her waist, securing it, making sure that it wouldn't fall, especially if she had to do more running, which she always did. Her bare arms were left to roast in the hot sun, the rest of her covered by her navy blue dress.

The Doctor was on the ground, leaning against the house that they had just come out of. His breaths were slowing down, which was a good sign. He looked up at Clara, watching her as she tied her jacket around her. "I don't know." He licked his lip before he continued. "I suppose we'll just keep walking."

Clara turned at once at this news. "What do you mean 'keep walking'? We've walked for hours and all we've found is this house! There's nothing else out there, we haven't seen anything."

The Doctor squinted his eyes as he tried to read her expression. "Maybe there are more of these out there." He tried. Clara puffed out air in disbelief. "I doubt it, Doctor." She told him quietly.

She turned back around, facing the desert again. There really wasn't anything else out there, just sand, mountains of it. But then she remembered their task; find the town and you're free, that was the game. So there had to be some town out there, they just had to find it.

"Get up." Clara said harshly, offering the Doctor her hand. He took it with question and she pulled him up. When he was taller than her once again he gave her a look, scrunching up his face. "What's changed your mind?" He asked her. Clara's eyes met his own and they glistened, she had let her mind reopen. "There's a town out there somewhere that has the TARDIS. We have to find it." She told him. This lit up the Doctor's face. "Glad you've come to your senses." He said.

The two of them started walking again, leaving the house behind. Both of their minds had reopened to see the possibilities that there were.

The walk was long and gruesome just like it had been before they had stopped. The two of them walked beside each other, paying close attention to each other's footsteps. Clara liked this; it took her mind off of what was happening. She tried as hard as she could to keep her shorter strides in line with his longer ones. It proved to be difficult.

Other than this little game the two were silent, the both of them, once again, not knowing what to say to the other. But I do think that they found it comfortable, easier to cope with. It was enjoyable, well, as enjoyable as it could be.

The thing that troubled Clara was that once they had been walking for about two hours, she thought that she could again make out something in the distance. She didn't want to get her hopes up, especially since the last time hadn't done her that well, but she could feel that wonderful feeling bubbling under her surface. Hope.

The Doctor too noticed whatever it was ahead of them. It was big, very big, but he didn't know what it was.

"Do you think it's a building?" Clara piped up from beside him. The Doctor raised his hand and held it over his face to shield the sun as he took a better look. He had to strain his eyes to do this. "No... I don't think it's a building. It's too big to be that." He told her. Clara took a glance at the Doctor, the corner of her lip turning up in a very small grin. "Well, buildings can be big." She stated. This time he turned to look at her. "Clara, it's not a building... I think its trees."

Clara's eyebrows came together at her center in confusion but also with surprise. "A forest? Out here?" She asked him. He nodded as he reached into his jacket for his glasses. He put them on carefully, squinting again. Clara shifted in her stance. She felt as if the forest was staring at her, sizing her up. She didn't like it. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing that we've found this?" She asked the Doctor. He gulped in response as he thought about it, the way to say what he had to without scaring her too much. "Well, we have to go through if we want to find the TARDIS." He stated. "I think that we should go with what we've got and if this is what we have, well, we should go with it." He mumbled.

And with that, the two travelers continued on towards the big, deep forest. Both of their heads were held high, faking confidence, making them look bigger than they really were. It was their motivation to keep going, it was their armor.

As it came closer, Clara noticed how big the trees were. They towered over them, massive blocks in the road.

She turned her head to both sides, checking out the area. The forest was long and deep. It formed a straight line right across the desert, there was only one way past and that was to go through.

The two of them stopped once they were on the outskirts of the forest, both of them shifting with their weight, both of them mentally preparing themselves for the task at hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Clara had that uneasy feeling that you get when you're sitting in hospital room chairs, when you're taking a test, or ordering food at a restaurant. She hated it. She never liked ordering food, she felt like they were always judging her, making her self confidence go way down. It was silly, but true. They just wanted her money and they'd be off back to their own world as soon as she was done.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked her, breaking into her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. She didn't look at him but she could feel him looking at her, studying her, judging her, because she didn't answer right away.

He eventually took her silence to heart. It wasn't a yes but it wasn't a no. He pulled himself together with pity as he stepped into the forest bounds. One foot at a time.

The barrier was evident. On one side there was sand and a warm sun, on the other there was a cold forest dripping of water. As soon as he crossed the edge he felt himself shiver, going up and then down his spine. He raised his cupped hands to his mouth where he breathed warm air into them, in an attempt to warm them up. It only helped slightly, only for a quick second. The changes were unbelievable.

He didn't think that Clara would follow him but soon enough, as he was standing there, he heard footsteps behind him and then the crunch of leaves beneath her feet. He smiled to himself.

"This, this is different." He heard her say quietly. The Timelord was busy taking in his surroundings but he managed a nod of agreement.

He looked at the ground to see small water droplets on leaves. Then he looked up with curiosity to watch as raindrops slid off of the trees and down the forest floor. He couldn't help but smile. It was refreshing. Literally.

The change of scenery shook Clara up a bit. I mean, she got it, she always has, with the aliens and stuff and foreign planets, anything can happen. That's just always how it's been. But this surprise seemed too drastic for her liking. It left her scared and nervous, even when she was putting her best foot forward, bracing herself for whatever was going to happen next.

"It's beautiful." The Doctor mumbled just loud enough that Clara could hear him. She kept walking towards him, who was standing ready to go a few feet away. "But, everything that is beautiful has a dangerous side." Clara's breath hitched a bit when he said that. She realised that the forest was a bit too quiet, abnormal.

"What do you thinks wrong with this place?" She asked him. He turned to her but instead of answering he raised a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Her eyes widened as he then lowered his hand. "When you see them don't take your eyes off of them." He told her. She slowly shook her head. "What are you talking about?" You could practically taste the nerves in her voice. "Clara, I need you to listen to me carefully, alright?" She nodded quickly. How was he being so calm given the situation? And he knew the worst bit too. He could sense it from a mile away. "Don't blink."

As if on cue about a dozen weeping angels came into view, surrounding the travelers. Clara let out a nervous scream as the Doctor grabbed hold of her arm, steadying his companion. "Keep your eyes on them! Keep your eyes on them!" He yelled. He was trying his best to keep calm and collected but his breaths were getting quicker and quicker, his heartbeat getting faster and faster. His eyes moved back and forth between all of the statues, trying to keep track of them all. It proved to be difficult.

Clara's mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, her brain working overtime. Her eyes were trained on the weeping angels in front of her but they were drying quickly. She had never been good at staring competitions.

With his hand on his companions arm he slowly started to move out of his position, bringing her with him. Clara looked down at her feet when she realised what he was doing. With that, three angels moved closer to her and the Doctor. "I told you to keep your eyes on them!" The Doctor yelled at her without loosing eye contact with the angels. "I'm sorry, I'm trying!" She yelled back in a panicked voice. The Doctor instantly felt quilt and shame from yelling at her. She was scared and he wasn't helping.

"It's alright, just keep trying, Clara." He told her as he kept moving forward, bringing her with him.

Maybe his plan wasn't thought out completely but he didn't know what else to do. He could only think of this one option. They would have to make it out of the forest. They would have to outrun the angels within a dark, dark place.

With his mind made up and his grip on his companion tight and secure, he ran through the forest. In order for the Timelord to be able to move like he had to he broke eye contact with the angels. Instead he studied the ground as he ran. He made sure he didn't fall over any stumps or branches. Making sure that the path was clear for Clara as well.

In his ear he could hear the faint swooshes of the angels moving around him, trying to catch him and Clara. But he just kept running, as fast and swiftly as he could.

The forest was big as we mentioned, there was no end in sight. This was what was running through Clara's mind. Sure, maybe they could outrun them but for how long? How long would it take?

Clara was holding the Doctor back now, he had to let go. He turned his head a bit, trying to make eye contact with her before he let go. As soon as her eyes fell upon his he loosened his grasp on her wrist, letting her go. She was on her own now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Clara felt instantly alone but she shook it off quickly. She could feel the spot on her wrist that the Doctor had had hold of grow cold. That made her want to get out even faster.

Up ahead of her the Doctor was running as fast as he could. He whipped through the forest, kicking up wet leaves and dirt in his wake. Clara did her best to avoid the remnants and keep up with the Timelord.

It seemed as if they were running for hours. By now her body was heavy and sweat was trickling down her neck. Exhaustion fell over her like a blanket. All of a sudden, she didn't care about the angels that so desperately wanted her. She just wanted to lie down and fall asleep.

The Doctor could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker as he kept running. But he wasn't as concerned about himself as he was for Clara. He could still hear the sound off her feet hitting the ground but he knew that even this was too much running for her.

But the two of them continued, driven by their instincts, to an area that opened up to a small desert. The Doctor laughed excitedly as it came into view. He looked back at his companion to see her eyes wide. Soon the two stumbled onto the hot sand.

The Doctor stopped outside the forest, putting his hands on his knees. Clara fell to the ground with exhaustion. "Please tell me we won't have to do that again for a little bit." She panted. The Doctor smiled at her. "No I don't think we will." He then stood up straight, turning to look at the forest again. "The angels are restricted to only this forest; I knew it couldn't go on forever." He said. Clara's eyes closed slightly. "What do you mean 'this forest'?" She asked him.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, well, what was supposed to be his eyebrows, at Clara. "Don't you see it?" He asked her. At once, he turned to point to the other side of the small area. Clara's eyes followed. On the other side there was another forest, but this one was different. This one was surrounded, protected almost, by a large, now I mean very large, wooden wall. The big, long pieces of wood were stacked one on top of the other, rising to a height of maybe 10 metres. The only way they could tell that there was a forest on the other side was because of the branches that stuck through some of the spaces between the slants of wood.

"Holy smokes." Clara muttered as her eyes cleared the site in front of her. The Doctor nodded in agreement with the statement. He looked at the wall for a second before turning to his companion. "First, before we tackle our next task, I think it would be best if we had some sleep." He told her. Clara looked up at him from her spot on the ground. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She replied.

He smiled before he turned to walk back into the forest. Clara watched him with wide eyes. "Doctor, you can't go back in there. The weeping angels..." The Timelord turned to her with another grin. She then realised that he was going to be fine. She didn't have to worry; he knew what he was doing. "I'll only be a minute." He yelled as he continued into the wooded area.

Clara turned away and waited for him to return. The silence she enjoyed, just as she had earlier. But this was a bit different. This was peaceful. She felt safe and as if she could fall asleep in it, let the silence wrap around her, carry her into a deep sleep. She didn't want it to end. This was when she realised that she was starting to fall asleep.

The Doctor woke her from her almost unconscious state when he came over and placed a big piece of moss beside her. As he stood up again she noticed that he was still wearing the stupid grin he had left with.

She looked down at the piece of moss with her eyebrows coming together in her center. "What's this for?" She asked. The Timelord proceeded to kneel down next to his companion, eyeing up with her. "It's a pillow, what else would it be?" He told her with a laugh. Clara's eyebrows then rose at his idea. "Oh." Was all she managed to get out. He reached out a hand to pat the moss, motioning for her to lie down. She studied it for a moment, deciding if it was worth it. She decided it was. It did look comfy.

Clara stretched out and laid her head on the moss pillow. She could feel the smaller sticks in the ball poke at her hair a bit but other than that it was surprisingly enjoyable.

The Doctor was beaming down at her as he watched her settle in for the night. When he saw that she was okay he got up and walked over to a tree at the edge of the forest, near where Clara was. He sat down so that his back was leaning up against its bark.

The two of them stayed like this for a little bit. Once the Doctor thought that his companion was asleep she proved him wrong. "Doctor, do you think we're gonna find this town?" She asked him quietly, as if she didn't want to break the silence. He paused for a moment, thinking over his words carefully. "I think that we have a pretty good chance." He told her. "But first, before any of that matters, you have to sleep."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Clara was woken by the sound of branches brushing together. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the sunlight that beamed down on her. She could still hear the noise so she turned over in curiosity.

Next to her was the Doctor, piling broken branches together in a pile. Clara smiled at the sight. It lifted her spirits just a little bit.

The Doctor didn't notice that Clara was awake. He just kept moving around his pile, making sure everything was neat and tidy. Earlier that morning, he had gone back into the forest to find something for him and Clara to eat. After searching for a fair amount of time he had managed to get a squirrel that had been up as early as him. He also had found some herds and stuff to make a salad of sorts.

After a few moments of her watching, Clara decided to make herself present. She cleared her throat and instantly the Doctor turned around to face her. He opened his mouth before she could even get a chance to say anything. "Good morning, Clara! Do you want brunch?" He asked her. Clara sat up carefully, her eyes still on the Doctor. "What do you mean by that? We don't have any food, Doctor." She told him. The Timelord shook his head before he went back to the edge of the forest. He bent over to pick up the dead squirrel. He returned to Clara with a smile. Her eyes widened when she saw what was in his hands. "Why do you have a squirrel?" She asked him, her voice full of concern. The Doctor pointed to his prize. "This is breakfast!" He announced. Clara's eyes widened even more as she began to shake her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I'm not eating that."

The Doctor's smile faded from his face very quickly. He lowered the squirrel so that it was down by his hip. But he didn't stay sad for long. He turned again to go back to the edge of the forest. He returned with the plants that he had collected. "We can make a salad!" He told her. Clara smiled and that then led to her nodding her head in agreement. "Yes, that sounds far better than squirrel." She laughed a bit, realising how silly what she had just said was. The Doctor grinned.

As the Doctor got busy preparing the salad for the two of them Clara stood up from her spot on the ground. It was nice, standing, as her legs were quiet stiff from the night before. A little bit of tiredness was still present in her body but for the main part she felt a lot better. Sleep was definitely what she had needed. Especially if she had to continue with this insane journey.

To stretch her legs even more, and to be quiet frank, she was just curious, she made her way over to the wall. As she got closer and closer she realised just how big it was. It certainly wasn't small. When she was standing in front of it, just a mere inch away, it seemed like a skyscraper. It was massive. And that was coming from someone who had seen mountains and called them small.

She reached out her hand to touch the wood. It was smooth for the most part but there was small splinters sticking out at some bits, making it seem more dangerous. Also, between the planks of wood there were branches with small leaves on them. By the time they made it over they would be in another forest.

The task seemed impossible. There was no easy way over the wall. Maybe there was some sort of secret door? Maybe the Doctor could use his screwdriver to help them find it or even make it smaller? Wait, of course, the sonic doesn't do wood. Clara sighed with realisation. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to sit in her apartment and watch television and drink her tea. She wanted to be comfortable and here, that really wasn't an option.

"Clara, it's ready!" She heard the Doctor yell from back from their camp. She turned around to look at him. He was waving. Clara smiled at him before answering, "Coming!" She turned back to the wall, giving it another once over. She hated it and that was decided.

She hurried back over to the Doctor and the salad. Her hunger was starting to bother her now. She had been trying to push it aside as much as she could.

When she got there she sat down in the sand. At once she could feel the itchy sand make its way into her shoes. She brushed it off quickly. The Doctor turned to her holding a bowl of the salad that he had made. He offered it to her and she gladly took it. When she got it in front of her she looked at the bowl carefully. "Where'd you get this?" She asked the Doctor. The Doctor sat down next to her, shoving the salad into his mouth as he did so. Between breaths he was able to talk. "It's the squirrel. I used the sonic to do it." He told her. Clara's eyes widened as she looked at him. "Don't worry, it's sanitary." He continued. "I checked."

Clara, hesitantly, started to pick at her salad. It wasn't that bad once she got going and plus, her hunger over took her. She could and would eat anything that was put in front of her.

The two of them ate in silence, savoring as much as they could of the meal. Once they were both done the Doctor looked up at Clara. "Are you ready for this?" He asked her. Clara turned to him, a small frown on her face. "I don't really think we have a choice." She mumbled. The Doctor smiled sadly before getting up to help his companion off the ground.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The two time travelers made their way over to the wall of wood. It was finally time to attempt getting past it, how they were going to do that? Still undecided.

When they reached it the Doctor went off ahead, running his hand over the planks, searching, Clara assumed. She watched for a second as her head tried to think of any ways of getting over it. She tilted her head up, gazing up at the sky. Man, it sure was massive. It never seemed to end.

She lowered her head back down to look at the Doctor. He had his ear pressed against it. She tried to ignore his odd behavior, knowing that, well, hoping that, it would lead to a conclusion.

"I was thinking. Maybe there's like, a secret door or something. You know, a way through it instead of over it." She told him. He nodded in agreement. "That's sort of what I'm hoping. The problem is, Clara, how do we find it?" He replied. Clara giggled a bit. "What? Because your screwdriver is rubbish?" She asked cheekily. The Doctor stood up straight as he frowned a bit. "I've told you, I have been trying to make a setting for wood. It's just a lot more complicated than it seems. But, in the meantime, don't hate on the sonic!" He told her. Clara still had her smile stuck on her face. She was also still on the bridge of laughing again. The Doctor blew out air from his mouth as he turned back to the wall. He started to walk down it, with his ear glued to it. Clara turned round before deciding to follow him. "What, can you hear something?" She asked him. This time he didn't turn to her when he answered.

"Yes, I can actually. It's giving off a vibration. Can't you feel it?" He in turn, asked her. Clara frowned. "No, I can't feel anything." She replied. "Well, I'll just tell you then. It's getting stronger this way. Hopefully, if we keep following it, it'll lead us to something, anything, that can help us get over."

"Why are they helping us?" Clara questioned. They didn't actually tell them much when they sent them here; they were just left squandering by themselves. Why would they help them now? "I'm not sure if they can control it. But, if they can. Well, when you think about it, if they set this up they would be able to see if we would find it. You know, if we were smart enough to find it. And then that would be our way out." He explained to her. Clara nodded. "So, like a test, sort of." "Yes, exactly, I suppose."

"Bingo!" The Doctor yelled as he jumped back from the wall. Clara, who had been a little bit behind, ran up beside him. "What, what is it?" She asked hurriedly. The Doctor was smiling like an idiot. "I've found it!" He yelled again.

This time he put two hands on the wall. Then he pushed into it, putting all his weight on it. All at once, a small piece of it started to shift, like a sort of wiggle. After a few seconds of this, the piece of wood popped out, landing on the other side with a loud noise. Clara jumped and the Doctor yelled with excitement. Next thing they knew, they were both laughing. "That took a shorter time than expected." Clara laughed. "It did, didn't it?" The Doctor replied.

The two of them then peered out onto the other side of the wall. Clara had been right, it was a forest. They both stepped carefully over the fallen piece and into it. It was really quiet similar to the one before it. Almost identical.

"What should we do now?" She asked him. The Doctor was looking around at everything but nothing significant was in sight. He sighed. His party is over now. "I suppose we can keep walking. Hopefully, not too much longer to the town." He told her. Clara nodded slowly as she followed him further into the woods. "More walking it is then." She mumbled, clearly distressed with the whole thing.

As time passed on, they kept walking, hoping, in fact, that something great would happen to them. Some strand of luck would come around and whisk the two of them off of their feet. Wouldn't that just be brilliant? It would make her day, make her week, maybe. She and the Doctor would celebrate their victory that seemed to be slightly different to some of their others.

All of a sudden Clara slipped and fell. Her back hit the ground hard, the wind being knocked out of her almost instantly. "Doctor." She managed to say. In front of her, he turned around to see her lying on the ground, wincing in pain. His face changed from content to nervous as he saw her. "What happened?" He asked her as he went to walk forward. But, he didn't make it far. He too slipped and fell, landing hard. "What the?" He asked out loud. He had one hand on the ground to push himself back up but he noticed something. His hand was cold.

As he looked down at it he noticed that this wasn't the forest floor anymore. It was ice. They were on a frozen lake. "Blimey, look at this." He laughed. By now, Clara had sat up and was realising the same thing as him. The ground was ice. "How do you think this happened?" She asked him. The Doctor shook his head. "Maybe we just didn't notice it." He replied. "So they, whoever is in control of this place, can't just change it on command?" "No, that would only be allowed when they first obtained control over the planet. Everything now would be fixed."

"Okay, well, we have to get across." Clara said as she lifted her head to look over across the frozen lake. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was June.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

They were almost there. It was in reach. It really was. She could see it. She wasn't just imagining it. And she was smiling. Like a five year old on Christmas day.

The Doctor looked at her, his face all contorted up with confusion. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could do so Clara had her arms wrapped around him, taking his breath away for a split second.

His companion was laughing now, squealing with delight. He placed both of his hands on her back, embracing the surprise hug. His head was running a mile a minute, thinking about, well, just about everything. But his main concern was the fact that his rear end was getting really quiet cold.

"Thank you." Clara told him as she hugged him even harder. His eyes were bulging out of his head with the pressure. "Yes, you're welcome, but, um, what did I do?" He asked between some shaky breaths.

Clara finally noticed that the Timelords breathing was laboured by her hug and she finally let go, placing her hands on both of his shoulders. She was still smiling as she found his eyes. "We've found it, Doctor." She whispered, her face glowing with happiness. "We've found June." She continued as the Doctor turned to look behind him. She watched as his eyes widened at the sight of the town. Finally, the nightmare would be over. She'd be back home soon enough.

"Wow." The Doctor said in one breath. Clara smiled even more.

She felt it in her chest now. The town was pulling her in. As she slowly stood up she was careful to remember that she was standing on ice. Within a few wobbles she was standing up right. She reached out a hand to the Timelord who now looked quite silly sitting on the pond. She chuckled a bit as he took her hand. She pulled him up with a little difficulty but eventually the two of them starting the journey to the other side of the body of water.

They walked slowly, shuffling practically, holding onto each other's arms for balance. Clara enjoyed it, even given the circumstances and everything else that was going on. She realised that deep down, the traveling didn't matter, and neither did the places she saw or the monsters she fought. In the end, it was always just him. She loved spending time with him. Just being around him made her happier. Even when their lives were in danger or they had gotten themselves into an impossible situation. It was the time they spent together. It was the little things. As she thought about all of this she began to squeeze the Doctor's arm. Maybe just a little too hard.

"Clara? Your grip on my arm is really quite tight at the moment." He whispered to her. Clara turned her head quickly, snapping out of her daze. When she processed what he had said she loosened her grasp on his arm, making him sigh with relief. "Sorry about that." She said apologetically. He smiles as he watches where his feet go.

In about ten minutes they manage to make it across the pond safely. When Clara steps onto the land she sighs, happy to be back on dry land and away from the cold. But maybe she'd miss it.

No, it was no longer cold but it was extremely warm. She and the Doctor immediately started to sweat. "Well, this is just lovely, now isn't it?" She said sarcastically. The Doctor let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, sure it is." He replied.

The two of them walked slowly towards the houses and buildings in the town. You could sense it, their feelings. They were nervous even though just seconds before they were beaming with excitement.

The houses were close together, strangely close. And not many of them had windows. They bared wooden doors and cement walls; there were planks of bark on top. Clara could tell that the people who lived here didn't have much money. Unless this was how the rich lived. She didn't know.

They walked in silence through some of the walkways that the small town had; their feet shuffling through the sand. It weighed her feet down, making her feel tired, which wasn't a good addition to the heat that was scorching her body.

Finally, the roads opened up to a court yard, or what you could call a court yard. There wasn't any grass or anything like that. It was still made up of sand but there was a bench or two over by a house that was situated as a side of the square. Sitting on one of the benches was Clara.

Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight, it still taking its toll on her. The Doctor held out a hand in front of her, holding her back. "It's alright." He mumbled quietly so that only his Clara could hear.

He lowered his arm as he took that first step forward. Clara stayed put behind him. The Clara on the bench looked up at him, no emotion playing on her face. "We did it." He said to her flatly, holding up both of his hands by his side in emphasis. "Where's my TARDIS?"

The Clara sitting on the bench stands up slowly, walking so that she is in front of the Timelord. He glues his eyes to hers, watching as she comes yet closer. When she stops the corners of her mouth turn up into a smirk. The Doctors eyebrows furry in confusion. The real Clara's breath hitches as her duplicate raises her arm.

"It's right here." She says as she snaps her fingers. Across the court yard the TARDIS pops out of thin air. The Doctor turns his head quickly to the right to see her. He grins a little bit. He then turns back to face this version of Clara. "So, is that it?" He asks smartly. She raises her head to look at him more closely before she answers, leaving the two time travelers in suspense.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. Clara was studying his face as it seemed. Looking for some sort of sign to tell her that she had succeeded, even though she already had.

"I have collected all the information that I need," She starts. The Doctor takes a step back, surprised at her words. "I have completed my task," The real Clara takes a step forward. "Doctor Simeon has all he needs."

With that the hologram, instead of fading, turns to dust, falling to mix with the sand that they stand on. The Doctor is staring out in front of him, at the spot that she had. His mouth is open but nothing is coming out.

Clara stands a few feet away from him, trying to understand what had just happened. Doctor Simeon. She remembered him. Of course she did. He was the one to jump into the Doctors time stream, trying to kill him. Clara had gone after him, letting herself become torn apart, scattered across her friends time line. The Impossible Girl.

But why was he here and what did he have to collect information for?

She started to walk towards the Doctor who had, finally, closed him mouth and was now staring at the ground. When she reached him she stood beside him. He didn't look up at her.

After a few moments of silence she asked him the question that was tickling her brain. "Why does Doctor Simeon want to know about me?" This got the Doctor's attention. He raised his head to look to her, his eyes full of sympathy. But he made sure that disappeared quickly. He gave her a small, reassuring grin. "I don't know." He told her. Clara stared coldly at the Timelord. She didn't believe him. But she didn't want to pry. She lowered her head before she turned to walk to the TARDIS that she had missed so much over the past little bit. As she reached the door she turned back to look at the Doctor who had just turned around to head in. Their eyes met as she took a deep breath. "I know that you do this thing where you try to protect everyone by not telling them anything. I get why you would, obviously, because you care about us but I think that maybe you should give it a rest, Doctor. Keeping stuff in like that isn't going to help any. It's going to catch up to you." She told him quickly. The Doctor's eyes fell to the ground as he let her words sink it. He heard her mumble a "sorry" before she went into the time machine. He was left alone for a second.

Of course he knew what Simeon wanted information for. Not for the future but for the past. Well, Simeon's future but his and Clara's past. You know, timey-wimey stuff, as usual. And, yes, he was protecting his companion because that's all he could ever dream of doing.

He finally picked up his feet and carried himself to his ship. He carefully stepped in and closed the door, the vessel fading away moments later.

The End


End file.
